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While Joy doesn't find Phish exploring much new territory, the band sticks to their strengths, making for a welcome return.
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The music is rarely rote, nor does it jump, settling for a fussy yet placid amiability, whether the Vermont quartet is in boogie mode ("Kill Devil Falls") or unwinding a 13-minute progressive-rock suite ("Time Turns Elastic").
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If you can't enjoy Joy, you will probably never enjoy Phish. Yet, to paraphrase a vintage Phish song, what's most impressive here is how much they seem to be enjoying themselves--truly, deeply, gratefully. It's nice to have them back.
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Phish's first studio album since 2004 suggests that what brought these jam-scene kings back together after a five-year breakup wasn't unbridled passion, but faith in their well-oiled machine.
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Steve Lillywhite’s clear and ungimmicky production makes Joy sound like the band members onstage responding to one another.
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They sound more focused than on any of their ten previous studio offerings. Certainly, what's here is not for everybody, but this jumpy, well-constructed little set may even get Phish fans excited.
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While it may continue to be unfair to compare Phish’s live shows to their studio work and that Joy is a nobler attempt than most of their other albums, Phish’s strengths and, most noticeably, their limitations are nonetheless as evident as ever.
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The songs give off good vibes, even when alluding to the missteps that undid guitarist and main writer Trey Anastasio and ultimately his band. That lack of friction is a problem with Phish.
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Joy is a journey not to be missed.